18SOUND XR1064 Alu

18Sound XR1064 Alu: 1" aluminium horn with 60°x40° for directed coverage

A cast aluminium horn for 1" compression drivers with 60° horizontal and 40° vertical coverage: the XR1064 Alu from 18Sound's XR series is meant for applications where acoustic energy should be aimed into a sector rather than spread across the room. The throat accepts the common 1" exit (25 mm) and the horn weighs 0.85 kg.

The narrow pattern has two consequences. First, on-axis sound pressure rises compared with a wider horn of similar size, because the same energy is spread over a smaller solid angle. Second, less energy reaches walls and ceiling, which raises the direct-sound share in the audience. Aluminium as a material offers high stiffness and conducts heat away from the driver; its resonance behaviour differs from plastic, so aluminium horns usually show less tendency to ring in the midrange.

Use and enclosure

Typical uses are installations with a larger distance to the audience, delay lines, sports venues or conference rooms with long, narrow seating areas. Stage monitors also exploit a narrow pattern to hit the musician precisely and limit spill into the microphones. With 40° vertical, the horn covers a clearly bounded height range; on a stand or truss the tilt towards the listening area therefore has to be set deliberately.

Suitable drivers are the 1" compression drivers from 18Sound carried by 42.audio, with ferrite or neodymium magnets and titanium, polyethylene or NSD diaphragms. The lower crossover limit follows from driver and horn dimensions: a horn of this size does not control directivity down into the lower midrange, so the crossover should sit fairly high and use a steep slope (12 or 24 dB per octave) to protect the driver. The datasheet PDF and the driver database at 42.audio make the selection easier.

What to look out for

• Throat 1" (25 mm): combine only with 1" compression drivers and check the driver's mounting type.
• 60°x40°: the wide axis normally goes horizontal, so decide the mounting orientation first.
• Cast aluminium at 0.85 kg: stiff, heat-conducting and rugged for touring.
• Narrow coverage raises on-axis level; account for it when voicing the crossover.

Frequently asked questions

18Sound XR1064 Alu: manufacturer, spellings and classification

18Sound, 18 Sound and Eighteensound all refer to the same manufacturer: Eighteen Sound S.r.l. of Reggio Emilia, Italy. The XR1064 Alu is a 1-inch horn / waveguide from the XR series, available from 42.audio, 18Sound dealer in Germany, with datasheet and full specifications in the driver database.

At 42.audio you get the 18SOUND XR1064 Alu with datasheet PDF, all key data in the driver database. More drivers from this manufacturer: Atlas 18Sound.